By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe

Acts 4:8-12 | Psalm 117:1.8-9.21-23.26.28-28 |1 John.3:1-2 | John 10:11-18

Today the Church celebrates the Good Shepherd Sunday and the Gospel reading presents Jesus as the
Good Shepherd who cares for his flock. It is customary today to pray for leaders, especially ecclesiastical
leaders that they might follow the example of Jesus the Good Shepherd in all they do, as well as for
vocations to the Priestly and religious life.

There are many passages in the Old Testament that speak of God as the Shepherd of Israel. It is easier to
understand the analogy of a shepherd and his flock in the context of the traditional life in the time of Jesus
that resulted from centuries of the nomadic lifestyle in which shepherding the flock featured prominently
in their lifestyle. The care, protection, and guidance that a shepherd gives to the flock gradually became
for the Israelites a metaphor for understanding God’s love, guidance, care, and protection against the
constant aggression from their enemies. The Psalmist expresses this in various ways; The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want (Ps 23:1). Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph’s
flock! (Ps 80:1). We are his people and the sheep of his flock (Ps 100:3). The prophet Isaiah also sees the
Messiah as the shepherd of God’s people who will feed his flock like a shepherd, and gather the lambs in
his arms (Isaiah 40:11), and many more.

Peter was bold, in the first reading, to remind the Jewish leaders what should be their function: to protect
and care rather than condemn and punish. Instead of rejoicing that a cripple is healed, they were rather
worried that the healing was done by a group they would rather not have, the followers of Jesus. Having
crucified Jesus, it was disturbing to them to learn that they could still have to contend with the effects of
his power working through his disciples. One can imagine their feeling when Peter declared that it is only
in the name of Jesus that salvation, both temporal and eternal, can be obtained. The stone which they, the
builders rejected, has become the cornerstone. The action of the Jewish leaders depicts that of a hired man that Jesus spoke about in the Gospel reading. The hired man does not feel responsible for the sheep and therefore abandons it once it gets attacked. He is out to seek his interest rather than that of the sheep, just as the Jewish leaders were more interested in exerting their authority on the people than having someone else solve their problems and therefore risk diverting their allegiance. Jesus, on the contrary, is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. He knows his sheep and they know him. Moreover, he is so close to them that they know his voice.

By contrasting the good shepherd with the hired man, Jesus brings out the traits of a good leader. A good
leader is not a boss who commands the subjects around like the earthly leaders, but a servant leader. He
goes ahead of the people he leads, clears every danger on the way, prepares good pasture for them so that they can properly feed and rest peacefully. Psalm 23 details the function of a good shepherd from the perspective of what God does for the Israelites. Considered in this context, and in contrast with the actions of the Jewish leaders at the instance of the healing of the cripple at the Beautiful Gate, the readings set the stage for us to evaluate how our leadership at various levels mirror that of Jesus who heals, teaches, cares, protects, forgives, loves, and guide us unto eternal life.

When Jesus described himself as the Good Shepherd, he employed the Greek word “Kalos” (Ego eimi ho
poimen ho Kalos – ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός), which refers to that which is intrinsically good, ideal and
a model that others could imitate. The goodness of Jesus is inherent in his being, and therefore authentic,
as opposed to aesthetic, fanciful, and temporal goodness that is dependent on situations and other
interests. The goodness that is external to one’s nature does not survive in the face of challenges. It could
be likened to cosmetic or aesthetic goodness. This does not define a person’s identity but only says something about his or her appearance. To look good is different from being good. Appearance and reality are not the same. We should look good as well as be good.

Jesus, therefore, challenges us to imitate his goodness, honesty, and dependability in the leadership and
fellowship in our community, and in all our dealings with people. This kind of goodness does not wane even in the face of challenges or trials. Peter and his fellow apostles did not deny the truth of Jesus even in the face of the hostile Jewish leaders just as Jesus, while subjected to extreme torture and insults while hanging on the cross, responded with a prayer of forgiveness for his unjust aggressors rather than call for vengeance.

The Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. This is why Jesus Christ is both shepherd and lamb.
Hence, he died to save his flock as a lamb of sacrifice, prefigured by the Passover Lamb, willingly laying
down his life for us. He is our Ransom. In the consciousness of this fact, we can say with the psalmist:
“Even though I walk through the valley of Shadow of death I shall fear no evil (Ps 23:4)” knowing that
Jesus the Good Shepherd is always with us. The psalmist says “with your rod and your staff you give me
comfort”. The staff of the Good Shepherd is the cross. As God worked through the rod of Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt, so does he deliver us from death through the Cross of Jesus. When the valley of death threatens, the Lord whispers to us in a gentle voice: “Be of good cheers, I have conquered the world” (Jn.16:33).

It is our duty, therefore, to give a listening ear to Jesus, our Good Shepherd. He knows us, his flock, and
expects us to know him in return, and follow him as he leads us to greener pasture. He will never desert
us. Hence, it is for us to live in trustful faith in him, learning in our turn to show the same care, love, and
protection to those around us who need it. People will only feel the presence and care of Jesus through us,
just as the man at the Beautiful Gate experienced the healing power of Jesus through his Apostles. May the celebration of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, enable us to make the necessary effort to become good followers of Jesus, and in turn be good leaders who love, care, protect, guide, and give a good example to our children and those around us. Peace be with you.